Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said it launched a “big missile” attack from the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip at Israel鈥檚 commercial hub of Tel Aviv on Sunday, May 23.
This marks the first time since January 2024 that rocket sirens were heard in Tel Aviv.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, Al-Qassam Brigades said the attack was carried out as retaliation for what it described as “Zionist massacres against civilians”.
The statement did not provide additional information about the extent of the missile attack or any resulting damage or casualties.
Taking to X, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shared a photo showing sirens sounded in Kfar Saba, Herzliya, and Raanana, north of Tel Aviv.
In another post, IDF said, “A barrage of rockets was launched from Rafah toward central Israel moments ago.
“Humanitarian aid has been going into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing this morning, and now rockets are being fired at central Israel,” it added.
“The air defense fighters intercepted a number of launches that crossed from the Rafah area into the territory of the country,” Israeli Air Force wrote on X.
The latest escalation occurred shortly after aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel via a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
The ongoing eight-month war between Israel and Hamas has resulted in the deaths of more than 35,900 Palestinians.
Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people.
